The Wolf in Republic City
by Kifo Sotri
Summary: When Sokka accepted his new job as Republic City's ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe, he had no idea that he would be donning a mask and taking the fight to the Triad at night. AU Where Sokka gets fed up with crime in Republic City and decides to do something about it, on his own terms.
1. Chapter 1

As the freighter closed its distance to the Republic City docks, Sokka reflected upon his time aboard the comfortable steam powered ship. The trip from the South Pole to Republic City had been a long one, but the goodbye's had felt longer. Sokka's departure from the slowly rebuilding tribe had been filled with heartfelt farewells and more than a few glassy eyes. For him, however, it was the start of a better life. At least, he was hoping that it was. All things considered, life had taken a bit of a downturn when Suki had ended their relationship, but it hadn't really been a surprise. Their love life had been strained for years prior, and her finally ending it had been both a relief and one of the worst things to happen to him in a while. It had taken a long time, but after his moping period he had realized that it was better for the both of them.

Sokka had been staying with the tribe for the last two years, helping them rebuild. It was a tedious job, and one without many thanks due to their changing of tradition. The stress had been building up on both sides, so when his father and the council for Republic City had suggested he become the Ambassador for the Southern Tribe, Sokka had jumped at the chance. Not only because it would get him away from the constant marriage interviews and his father's growing irritation, but because he would finally be doing something more useful. Sure, he had been useful when he was helping design the new structures for the Southern Tribe, but he hadn't FELT useful. Truth be told, he hadn't felt useful since his time in the great war. Even if he and the Gaang had helped out with finding Ursa, he hadn't been instrumental or useful since the last battle between Ozai and Aang. In fact, he hadn't even been in a real fight for going on six years now. While Sokka tried to remember the last time he'd fought outside of a spar, the freighter finally pulled into the Republic City docks. Once the call sounded that they were in port, Sokka headed his way up to the deck, while the crew set about removing the luggage from the holds. Not that what the crew did mattered to Sokka, since he had only packed a duffle bag and his ornamental armor.

Ah, his ornamental armor. When Zuko had made him a set of Fire Nation-esque armor three years ago, he had been torn between feeling ecstatic and angry. No matter how good the armor was, it felt like a slight against him personally. What was wrong with his own armor, after all? In the end he had taken the gift with grace and excessive thanks, knowing that it would be in poor taste to simply refuse such an expensive, not to mention beautiful, gift. The armor was beautiful, of that there was no doubt. It had the edge and intimidation of the ancient Fire Nation armor, but a streak of blue across the chest plate and a lunar eclipse in the center. Add to that the stylized wolf helmet, and he felt very much at home in his new armor. Still, he had been wary about letting others see it, as it was just Fire Nation enough to make old grudges rise up to the surface. With that in mind, it had spent it's entire life in his room, where it would likely take up residence in Republic City as well. Securing his satchel and his duffle bags, one of which held his armor while the other held his weapons, Sokka made his way down the gangplank and set his feet on the fresh ground of Aang and Zuko's beautiful creation.

Sokka had taken four steps on the docks before he spotted his ride. A beautiful carriage bearing the blue of the Water Tribe was waiting for him, with the driver looking in his direction. Deciding it would be better to not make his ride wait, Sokka double timed it over to the carriage and smiled widely at the man. Without a word, the driver opened the door to the passenger section and clambered up into the driver's seat. Smile now laying dead on the floor, Sokka climbed his way into the carriage and closed the door behind him. He barely made it into the seat before the driver began guiding the ostrich-horses towards the center of the city.

Once they had arrived at the council building, the driver opened his door and walked away, again, without a word. Sokka decided to ignore the obviously irritable man and clambered out of the carriage, making his way quickly towards the nearest clerk. Knowing that the council was likely waiting for him, or was at least expecting him, he quickly asked for directions to the council chambers. The clerk was friendly enough, stuttering out directions as he stared wide eyed at Sokka's trademark warrior garb. As soon as the clerk was done, Sokka made haste to the giant wooden doors that represented the council chambers. Knocking twice, Sokka waited for the voices to die down and the word 'enter' to be spoken.

After he had entered and been seated, Sokka found that everything aside from the introductions had been full of nothing but bickering and veiled attempts to sway the other members in favor of their own agendas. The council itself seemed divided on most everything, from how to deal with the rising Triad threat to how much of the city should have an increased police presence. Without the chief of police, Toph, being present for the meeting, they had decided to simply keep things as they were. Once that had finally been decided, the council had moved on to other, even more boring things. Sokka had found himself resisting the urge to yawn several times, but when he looked at Aang, he didn't see the same exhaustion and boredom. Instead, he saw a dedicated council member trying his best to come to a viable conclusion for every problem that was presented. The young boy from the iceberg had really grown into his role as both the Avatar and a public representative.

After every issue had been discussed to death, the council adjourned and Sokka finally got his chance to speak with his old friend. Catching him in the hallway, Sokka made sure to check that nobody else was having the same idea before approaching him. Seeing that he was clear to start up a conversation, Sokka quickly wrapped an arm around his old friend and grinned widely. "Aang, my old pal! It's been far too long! Have you been doing well, little buddy? Taking good care of my little sister? How's Appa?"

If Aang was surprised by the sudden contact, he didn't show it, quickly giving Sokka a hug before matching Sokka's grin with a large smile of his own. "Slow down, Sokka. It has been too long, far too long. Katara and I have missed you, almost as much as Appa has. Your sister has been taking care of me more than i've been taking care of her, i'm afraid. She'll complain sometimes that I love the job more than her. Lies and slander, of course, but I don't do the best job balancing my time. How are you feeling about coming to Republic City, though? I know you've probably been itching to move out of the South Pole ever since you got back there, but are you sure you want to become the connection between the Southern Tribe and the council?"

Sokka laughed at the idea that he'd be worried, but it was just like Aang to have more concern for his friends and his duties than himself. "Aww, so the snotbag did miss me… and Appa did too!" He paused slightly as horror flashed across his face. "You won't tell my sister that I said that, will you? But yeah, i've been eager to leave since the day I got back. As much as I love my homeland, it doesn't have much in the way of adventure. I'm sure you've been taking good care of Katara, and she just doesn't realize it. You two are more in love than any couple i've ever seen, and that's including my parents. Now, when it comes to being the connection between the South Pole and Republic City? I'm feeling more than just a little nervous, but it'll be fine. I'm the son of the chief, after all. Politics is in my blood. Now, what's this about that 'Triage' they mentioned in council room? I didn't think the Avatar's city would have a crime problem."

Aang sighed as they walked, his expression turning somber as he looked over to Sokka. "It's worse than you'd think, Sokka. The Triad formed a little over a year back, and in the little time they've been around they have grasped Republic City in an iron fist. Our police officers have little to no idea where the thugs will strike, even in the heaviest of gang territories. Not to mention that when we do catch them, what few we've caught are freed within a day or 'commit suicide' in the cells they're in. Isolation cells, I might add. All in all, we're just struggling to keep up with the rising tide."

Sokka was shocked to see such a hopeless look on Aang's face. This wasn't the bright eyed boy he'd fought the Fire Nation with. This young man held the weight of an entire city on his shoulders, and it was becoming clear that the load was starting to wear on his very spirit. Still, there wasn't much that he could say to such hopeless words. Saying their farewells, the two decided to part ways, with Sokka heading towards his new house in the downtown area, and Aang heading back to his home on Air Temple Island.

It didn't take Sokka long to find his way into the downtown area, weaving through the crowds of people, but as he was passing by a combination bar/ramen restaurant his senses stopped him dead in his tracks. Something was happening nearby, and Sokka knew it wasn't the charitable or happy kind of something. Silently drawing and unsheathing his sword from his dufflebag, Sokka made his way down an alleyway, following the sounds of what had to be a fight. Rounding the corner, he saw three Triad members kicking a young woman on the ground.

She wasn't even fighting back, seeming resigned to her fate. At the pure despair she was exuding, Sokka's vision went red. A howl of rage escaped his lips as he fell upon the gangsters, steel glinting in the low light.

But Sokka was not entirely lost to his fury. No, he aimed merely to wound, cutting tendons in the legs and stabbing the biceps in an attempt to render the first thug useless. By the time the first man fell, the morons had started to rally, but it was useless by that point. Two low level gangsters against an apprentice of the fabled Pian Dao? They never stood a chance.

The punches that the second threw went wide, not only marking him as a nonbender but as a poor fighter. The strikes, if they could even be called that, missed the swordsman as he ducked and weaved around them, slicing and rendering the second man useless in the fight by once again cutting out the tendons in his legs. Seeing his companions bleeding and helpless on the ground, the remaining thug tried his luck, making an escape attempt that ended with Sokka's sword burying deep in his left calf before slicing his right achilles tendon. Howling with pain, the final thug went down on the ground, leaving Sokka to stand over him and make sure he wouldn't escape.

His work done, Sokka surveyed the three whimpering cowards and the woman who was crying on the floor. Ignoring the brutalized thugs for the moment, Sokka sheathed Not Space Sword and extended his hand to the poor girl.

"It's alright now. You'll be okay." Sokka said softly as he helped the young lady to her feet. She was distraught, and covered in bruises, but she could walk and she could talk. That was more than enough for Sokka, and as soon as he made sure she wasn't bleeding internally, he told the woman to go and find a police officer and tell them what had happened. He assured her that he would remain here and make sure they didn't escape.

Apparently there had been an officer nearby, because it hadn't taken her more than a few minutes to find one and bring them back here. The man was quick to cuff the Triad members, making sure to be extra rough with them in a way that had Sokka smiling. Once the officer had radioed for a truck to come and collect the thugs, Sokka made sure to escort the girl home. When she stuttered out her thanks, Sokka told her that he was only doing what was right and that he would come by the next morning to make sure she was okay.

It was late at night by the time Sokka finally made it to his new apartment. After speaking to the manager and getting the key, he made his way up to the top floor, where he and three others had the privilege of the largest apartments in the building. Naturally, it would be an expensive place to stay, but his job as Ambassador paid well. His first month's rent had already been paid, and Aang had said before they parted ways that his rent would be taken out of his paycheck every month, so long as he stayed in his current residence. The place was well furnished, in a way that only a professional designer could pull off. Thankfully, someone had seen fit to include an empty armor mannequin in his room. Probably Katara, since she knew just how much he loved to have his Water Tribe armor on display. It was a lucky break, really, since he hadn't thought of where he would keep his gift from Zuko when he'd moved here. All in all, it took less than an hour for him to get situated and ready for bed.

As he lay in bed, Sokka went over his mental checklist of things to do. Check on the girl in the morning? That would be easy enough, since he knew how to retrace his steps easily enough. Find some good quality meat after work? There had to be a good vendor around here somewhere, it was just a matter of how hard he looked. Talk to Toph some time in the next week? He could manage that. She'd probably be ecstatic to see him, and then laugh at him for thinking she could actually see him. Slowly, Sokka's eyes drifted closed as sleep claimed him for the first time in a good fourteen hours.

When the sun rose, Sokka found himself in a good mood. He had done something right last night, and it had been a long time since he had been in a fight like that. Actually, he didn't think he'd ever been in a fight like that. He'd never been the juggernaut stomping down the inexperienced fighters, the roles were usually reversed. The faint feeling of adrenaline was in his veins as he got dressed in his formal attire, proving that the fight was far from gone in his mind. His dresswear wasn't really that formal, but an outfit given to him by Master Pian Dao was still magnitudes above anything else that he had. Of course, it had to be let out several times as his body had grown and broadened out, but it was still as fancy as the day he had first put it on. Preparing a small breakfast and consuming it with his usual ferocity, a freshly dressed Sokka made his way downstairs and out into the hustle and bustle of his new city. Making his way to finish the first thing on his mental list, Sokka wove his way through the winding streets of Republic City, humming a tune from his childhood as he moved through the crowds of people. As he approached her building, Sokka saw the young woman walking out the front door of the complex. She hadn't spotted him yet, so he waved enthusiastically in an attempt to grab her attention as he jogged over to her. The girl spotted him quickly, waving back in a shy manner as he closed the distance.

"Hey there! Are you feeling any better after last night...um...pretty lady?"

The girl suppressed a small giggle at his flirtatious comment while Sokka wracked his brain to remember her name. With a sigh, the girl patted him on the shoulder knowingly. "My name is Akane. Don't worry about not knowing my name, we never really talked after...what happened. But don't worry about telling me your name, Sokka. Anyone would know your face. I'm still stunned that one of the heroes of the hundred year war is my own personal savior. Would you, um, l-like to have breakfast with me? As way of repayment, of course."

Sokka smiled as she told him her name, finally being able to put a name to her pretty face. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he'd already had breakfast, but he figured there was no harm in having a second breakfast with such a nice girl, so he nodded eagerly and gestured for Akane to lead the way. While she was leading them to a small diner, they talked about things ranging from his relationship with Suki (she had seemed oddly relieved that it had ended) and what he had been doing since the war to how badly the Triad had taken hold of the city. Akane seemed to know a fair amount about the Triad's movements, having lived deep in Triad territory when they had first come to power, and was deeply frightened by just how much power they held over Republic City. By the time they had arrived at the diner and ordered their food, Sokka had found out that this wasn't the first time Akane had been mugged by those Triad thugs, and it made his blood boil. Such a nice young woman shouldn't have to be used to such hardships, and it disgusted him that the police hadn't done more to stop the presence of the Triad.

After their meal, Sokka and Akane parted ways, with him saying that he would visit tomorrow just in case she needed some help. Her shy smile had left him grinning like a loon, and he made his way to the council building in high spirits. As he arrived at the main office for himself and the other ambassadors, Sokka mulled over the idea of asking Akane out to dinner. They had already had breakfast together, but he was thinking along the lines of something more serious. It had been over two years since he and Suki had broken up, and he was fairly certain she'd moved on when she started courting the Fire Lord. Why shouldn't he try his own luck? The spirits had given him the chance to talk to a pretty young girl his age, so why shouldn't he try and be more than friends with her?

This line of thinking went on for most of the day, and though he was distracted he managed to focus enough to ensure the creation of several trade routes between the Southern Tribe and Republic City. His home was an animal rich environment, so meat and pelts could be harvested with much less difficulty than up in the Earth Kingdom lands, which meant it made sense to set up the trade agreements with this newer, more active city.

After work, Sokka made his way back to his new home. He was pretty sure that he would fall into a comfortable routine here, and even though it wasn't the action and excitement of his younger days, he could get used to the days of peace. Locking the door behind him, Sokka made sure his armor was in good shape before flopping onto the bed. He hadn't had any dinner, but his breakfast had been large and he was used to not eating more than twice a day, no matter how long it was in between the meals. Not to mention that he was exhausted. Who knew that paperwork was such a difficult task? Deciding it was best to just sleep and have another big breakfast, Sokka closed his eyes and drifted off to a comfortable sleep.

Sokka rose with the sun, but his mind was far from rested. He had been plagued by nightmares of the war. A horde of Fire Nation soldiers had surrounded him and the Gaang in his dream, picking them off slowly until only he had remained. Once it was down to him, the fight hadn't lasted long, and he'd woken in a cold sweat. After taking a cold bath in his new washroom, Sokka prepared himself a nice breakfast and got dressed. He hadn't packed too many clothes, so he was wearing Pian Dao's outfit once more when he locked the door behind him. Already giddy to be with the bustle of the city in the morning, Sokka decided to stop by Akane's apartment and ask her out to dinner. Calming himself as he rounded the corner, Sokka was greeted with a sight that made his heart drop into his stomach. Four police officers were standing outside of the building, and there was a stretcher being guided out of the entrance. The feminine outline of the body told him what he dreaded would be true, but regardless of what he was sure had happened, Sokka quickly walked over to the officer who looked to be in charge. "Officer, what happened here? Who's the victim, and is this related to the Triad?"

The officer bristled at the grilling he was receiving from a stranger off the street, but after taking one look at the man in question he realized who he was talking to. "Ambassador Sokka, I didn't think you'd gotten into the city yet. Victim is a young female, aged approximately twenty years old. Name of the victim is Akane, her neighbor found her early in the morning outside her apartment with a knife in her heart. Knife pommel matches the kind used by Triad thugs, so we have no choice but to call it a gang-related incident. Do you know if she has any ties to the Triad, Ambassador?"

Sokka was floored. The Triad had killed her? They had barely even gotten to know one another, and already she was taken away from him. It was Yue all over again, and he felt the guilt welling up in his heart already. "No, sir. All I can think of is that she was being mugged a couple nights back by some Triad thugs. I stopped them, but she said it hadn't been the first time that had happened. You could probably get more from the thugs that were arrested that night."

The officer sighed, shaking his head and dropping Sokka even deeper into despair. "I don't think we'll be able to do that, son. Those three seem to have committed suicide in their cells the night they were arrested. Chief Beifong thinks one of the guards was responsible, so all of the night shift have been put under investigation. I'm sorry, but I don't think we have any leads here. The neighbors won't talk for fear of inviting the Triad down upon their own heads, and she didn't have any next of kin, so I guess the only thing I can say is… i'm sorry for your loss, Ambassador."

With a nod, Sokka turned and began walking away from the scene, mind numb as he thought about just how quickly the Triad worked. She had been fine the day after the mugging, but less than 24 hours later she was dead. As he walked his mind turned from shock to anger. He had to do something, someone had to do something. But who? Immediately his mind turned to the chief of police. Toph would know what to do, she'd been chief for years now. With a new plan forming in his brain, Sokka turned away from the council building and headed towards the police station.

Once he made it to the station, it took no more than a few seconds for the woman at the desk to recognize his hairstyle and sword, and only a minute of persuading her to let him through. Apparently the entire force had been alerted that a new Ambassador was arriving in the city. After being told to go through the moose-bullpen, Sokka made his way to Toph's office. Knocking once on the door before opening it, he walked in and took a seat right in front of her desk. It was plain to see that she was busy, her hands trailing across the papers in front of her, but she still smiled as he sat down.

After a moment of silence, Sokka decided to take the lead with the conversation. "It's good to see you, Toph. It's been far too long since we saw one another. How's it going with being the Chief?"

Toph's smile widened as she set the papers aside and focused on him fully. "It really has been too long, stranger. You should really visit more often, Sokka, we haven't talked in ages. How's the cushy new job as ambassador treating you?"

Sokka's grin grew as he thought about his new career. "It's been a surprisingly good fit for me, though only time will tell if it's the best job for me. How about you? Big time police chief, fighting crime and catching baddies left and right, you must feel right at home."

Toph chuckled as she kicked back in her chair for a moment, basking in the praise, before leaning forward with a somewhat serious look on her face. "I'm doing the best that I can, meathead, but it's been a struggle. With crime on the rise we've had an increase of corrupt officers, which only makes catching the bad guys all the harder. Still, I know that you're not here for chit chat. What is it you need to talk to the chief of police about, Sokka?"

Sokka's smile died as he remembered why he had made this trip. "You're right, Toph. I need your help. We need to set up a task force that can take the fight to the Triad. They have to be stopped, and it needs to be done as soon as possible. Too many people are being threatened by these thug bastards."

Toph sighed as he spoke, putting a hand on her forehead as she leaned back in her chair. "Sokka, I know you're new to this city, but you have to understand something. Fighting the Triad as soon as they act is all that we can do right now. There's no way I could scramble together enough trustworthy officers to form a task force, even with you leading the charge. I'm doing all I can as it is, so I can't give you false hope by saying that it'll happen right now. Maybe Aang could scrounge up more funding to recruit more officers, but I don't think he's going to go for a forceful option. I'd ask why you're so set on fighting the Triad, but I heard about the girl this morning. I'm gonna be honest, I didn't know she was that important to you, Sokka."

At the mention of Akane, Sokka struggled to keep a straight face. It was just Toph being Toph, blunt as always. She didn't know that he'd spent an entire morning talking to Akane, or that he had been thinking of asking her out. All Toph knew was that he was the guy who saved the girl. "She was an innocent, and she'd been harassed before by the Triad. That's all that matters. Not to mention that i'm getting tired of seeing people die right after they meet me. Still, i've taken enough of your time, Toph, so i'll catch you later. Maybe we can go drinking some night, catch up on horror stories about our families. I'm sure your parents have been bugging you to get hitched just like my father has."

When Toph chuckled again and nodded her assent, Sokka got up and left the office. He had to talk to Aang now, see if maybe he could convince the airbender to do something about the Triad. As he walked out of the station, he saw a few of the officers staring at him. He wasn't bothered by it, and he could understand. It wasn't every day that some stranger walked in and got to see the Chief, after all. He shrugged it off, more than used to being stared at. He'd had enough of that after the war, and he had a job to do.

It was easier than he thought it would be for Sokka to corner Aang. The airbender had been standing out in the gardens of the council building, likely having finished his lunch moments prior. Sokka was behind the young man before Aang could register that someone was there, and the hand that he placed on the airbender's shoulder made Aang jump. Whirling around, Aang seemed ready to chew someone out, but he stopped and smiled when he saw that it was Sokka. "Wha- Oh, Sokka, it's just you. Don't scare me like that, buddy!" His grin faded when he saw the grim set of Sokka's jaw. "Sokka? What's wrong?"

"I need to talk to you about the Triad. We need to organize a task force to take the fight to them, and we need to end them. Permanently. They cannot be allowed to run free, rampaging through the city." Sokka spoke with seriousness that hadn't graced his voice since the final battle against Ozai.

Aang was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered. "We're not letting them run free, Sokka. We have a noticeable police presence in all Triad heavy areas. It's not like we're just doing nothing, and a task force wouldn't be the answer. We need to arrest these ruffians, not kill them."

Sokka grimaced as he heard Aang's words. "Arresting them isn't getting the job done, Aang. We need to be more aggressive. If stopping the Triad costs the lives of some thugs, i'm all for it. Not everyone can survive being a pacifist like you."

Aang's eyes turned cold, and his voice hardened as he put a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "It's not about being a pacifist, Sokka. If I were to sink to their level to put a stop to them, i'd be no better than the scum I was fighting. We have to be the better men, okay? This is no time for drastic action."

That crossed the line for Sokka. "No time for drastic action? People are being murdered in front of their spirits-damned homes, Aang! This is exactly the time for drastic action! What if it were Katara? What if it were my little sister, your beloved, with a knife in her heart! Something needs to be done about this, and I'm going to find a way to do it." With that, he stormed off, leaving a very confused Aang in his wake.

The day was a long one, filled with contemplation and anger. Sokka managed to fill out all of the needed paperwork, but his mind was elsewhere. If the police couldn't do anything, and if Aang wouldn't do anything, that only left one option. Sokka would have to take the fight to the Triad himself. He had a set of armor that the public was unaware of, which would help conceal his identity, and he had his swords. Add to that his knowledge of traps and his mastery of steel, and he would be a formidable foe. Eventually he'd be up against benders, but that wasn't a first for him. Not like any bender could match the people the Gaang had fought, and he had learned a lot in his time since the war. As Sokka made his way home, he did so with a clear goal in mind.

The Triad, the scum of the city, had best tread carefully. Because there was a wolf in Republic City, now.

And this wolf was out for blood.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun was setting as Sokka climbed up to the roof adjacent from his apartment. Once he had made it over the lip of the roof and ensured there wasn't anyone just sitting around having a smoke, he set down his duffel bag in a corner and started to don his armor. It wasn't the first time he'd prepared to go to war, but it was the first time he'd done so in this armor. The straps fit snugly when they were fastened against his clothing, and the chest piece was just tight enough against his body that it wouldn't restrict movement too much. Securing his sword against his back, Sokka did a few practice draws to make sure he would be able to draw it without issue in a hurry. He'd seen foolish men and women with sheaths on their back smack their heads with the pommel when they drew their weapons, and he needed the Triad's answers, not their laughter. After having secured his sword, Sokka made sure to fasten his black boomerang, a gift from his father when he'd talked about being too noticeable with his old boomerang, and throwing knives to the belt at his waist.

Finally, he was almost ready for a night of combat. Turning to the duffel bag on the floor, Sokka removed the helmet and looked at it for a moment. There would be no turning back after this, but he knew that he couldn't afford to let the Triad to get away with killing Akane. He was going to kill again, after years and years of avoiding it. He just hoped his nightmares wouldn't get worse with the killing. Shaking his head, Sokka cleared his thoughts of any worries. He couldn't afford to be unsure when he was in combat, and his life might be ending many more in the days to come. He was going to find Akane's killer, no matter how long it took. Donning his helmet, Sokka checked the edges of his vision, taking the helmet off and putting it back on to make sure just how much of his view was restricted, and how he could compensate for it during his fighting. After checking and rechecking his armor to ensure it was secured, Sokka finally deemed himself combat ready. Grabbing his grappling hook and securing it to his waist, Sokka made his way into the night.

It didn't take long for Sokka to find a group of thugs wandering the streets, but he needed to send a message, so instead of jumping immediately into the fray he opted for following them across the rooftops. This turned out to be a bit more taxing than expected, but for once Sokka's insistence to exercise like he'd be back on the battlefield paid off. Pulling himself over the ledge of an apartment building, Sokka watched most of the thugs go into a restaurant with their weapons ready, leaving a single man to keep watch for cops. No doubt their plan was to intimidate the shopkeeper into paying for protection. With a grunt, Sokka dropped off of the two story building and landed relatively softly on his target, knocking the watchman's head into the floor as he broke Sokka's fall. Standing and drawing his sword, Sokka walked into the shop.

His assumptions had been correct, but the thing he hadn't accounted for was the shopkeeper's daughter being thrown his way as soon as he cleared the threshold. Grabbing her with his free hand and moving her out of his way, Sokka walked calmly towards the thugs, who were just now noticing that they weren't alone.

The main thug appeared to be a nonbender like him, judging from the club in his hands, and apparently he'd had enough experience to not be intimidated by Sokka's appearance alone. "Who the hell are you?" The thug turned to the shopkeep who was cowering with his daughter.

"You getting protection from someone else, Yang? Well let us show you what happens to people who cross the Triad." The thug twisted the club in his grip and pointed it at Sokka before advancing towards him.

Without a word, Sokka moved, slicing off the lead man's arm at the elbow, leaving the club to clatter to the floor along with the severed flesh. Ignoring the man's screams of pain, Sokka turned and parried a knife thrust from the thug on his left, following through with a thrust of his own that left the poor soul missing a piece of his heart.

Ripping his blade from the thug's chest, Sokka grabbed the knife out of the dying man's hands and threw it at another gangster who had decided to charge him. The fight was lopsided from the very beginning, but only now was it starting to dawn on the two living Triad members. The only one left standing took his chances and tried to run past Sokka towards the door. This attempt ended with Sokka removing the thug's left leg.

As a second voice joined the chorus of pain, Sokka drew a throwing knife from his belt and slammed it down in front of the man's face, whispering a soft "Don't move." as he turned his gaze towards the lead thug. Yang and his daughter had long since run for the door, and no doubt the cops, so Sokka didn't restrain himself as he viciously kicked the lead Triad member in his ribs, before pushing him down onto the floor with his right foot on the man's back.

Sokka sighed as the gangster whimpered at the treatment. Honestly, he was lucky that the Triad didn't train it's soldiers to resist interrogation. If he had to keep this up much longer, the cops would find them all. Leaning in close, Sokka kept his voice level and low. "Tell me where your boss is. I want the next line in the chain. If you do, i'll leave you to the police. But if you don't…" Sokka stabbed his sword into the man's left leg, being sure to leave only a flesh wound. Still, the intimidation was enough.

The thug was borderline sobbing as he answered. "Okay! Okay! I'll tell you what you need to know. I don't know where my boss is, but I know where he's going to be. There's a meeting, low level initiates like me don't get entry. It's happening at warehouse 14 near the docks! Please, just let me live!"

Sokka quickly withdrew his sword, staring down at the crying gangster for a moment. He knew that if the Triad found out about him this quickly, he might never get to Akane's killer. "I said i'd leave you to the police. I never said i'd let you live." Without a second thought Sokka thrust his sword into the man's neck, ending his miserable life. As he turned to walk away, Sokka made sure to retrieve his throwing knife, but not before jamming it into the throat of the last Triad member. Taking a second to collect himself, Sokka breathed in and tried to calm the guilt that was rising from taking so many lives. "They were gangsters." He reminded himself, "They were scum." Not to mention that his target had revealed itself. All he had to do was make it to the docks in time.

By the time Sokka made it to warehouse 14, the meeting had already started. There were four men guarding the entrance, but he'd fought tougher odds before and come out on top. Hell, he'd fought more people tonight than this. That didn't matter, though. What mattered was the contents of the warehouse, more specifically the thugs inside. Sokka slowly lowered himself from his perch, making sure he was out of the line of sight of the guards. Moving softly, he approached around the corner of a stack of crates. Drawing his sword, Sokka rushed in, closing the distance between him and the guards in a flash. Knowing that he might be compromised if they called for help, Sokka didn't give them the chance. The first man went down with a slit throat, while Sokka continued the arc of his blade so that it went deep into the second thugs collarbone. The third and fourth guards had realized what was happening as the two men dropped to the floor, but Sokka leapt upon them with a calculated fury, stabbing one man in the chest and slamming his gauntleted fist into the other's face. Both men crumpled without a sound, and Sokka withdrew his sword before silently approaching the door. With no other choice, Sokka knocked on the door and pressed himself against the wall to the left of the door, waiting for the guard that was no doubt inside to open it.

When the door opened, Sokka rammed his blade through the man's chest, pushing his body backwards to make sure he was covered. It proved to be a wise move, as a fireball impacted on the corpse seconds after he pushed his way into the room. Taking in his surroundings while the flaming body fell away from his blade, Sokka saw that there was a long table in the center of the room, not five feet away. He also saw the ten thugs sitting there, stunned, while the eleventh member prepared another fireball to throw his way from the head of the table. Diving into a roll, Sokka felt the wave of heat sail over his head, and when he came up to his feet he wasted no time in drawing and throwing his boomerang at the firebender. Not even waiting to see if it connected, Sokka went through the grim and bloody process of taking down the other members of the table. With an almost mechanical fluidity, Sokka swept through the room, slicing one after another and making sure that none could get up and fight back. By the time he was done, the chairs were empty and the floor was full of bodies. Making his way over to the unconscious firebender, he saw that she was bleeding from where the boomerang had connected. Feeling a twinge of remorse, he grabbed the woman and threw her into a chair, wrapping the steel cable of his grappling hook around her tightly to make sure she couldn't escape.

By the time the woman came to, Sokka had mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. It would be the first time he ever interrogated someone, at least in the traditional sense. As she strained against the bonds, Sokka gripped her face with his gauntleted hand. "Where is the thug that ordered the hit on Akane."

At the mention of a name, the firebender's face scrunched up in confusion. "Akane? Who the fuck is that, your girlfriend?"

Sokka took his hand away only to slam his other fist into the woman's nose. He had no qualms about hitting a woman nowadays, most of them were more dangerous than he was. Especially not one who was gangster scum. "Akane! Your damned thugs stabbed her in the heart outside of her apartment! Don't lie to me, you piece of filth. Now where is the person who ordered the hit?!"

At his explanation, the firebender began to laugh. "Akane? I think you mean Fuyuko. That bitch got what she deserved. Nobody leaves the Triad." Sokka stepped back for a moment, stunned. That was all the time she needed apparently, because the firebender broke free of her bonds seconds later. The moment she was free, however, Sokka recovered, diverting her hand and the fireball it conjured while planting a foot on her chest. With a heave, Sokka kicked her back into the chair and drew his blade. She tried to throw another wave of fire at him, but this time Sokka was ready, slicing her right arm off and slamming the pommel into her head.

As the woman slumped forward, Sokka was at a loss for words. Who was Fuyuko? Had Akane lied to him about her name? Was she a member of the Triad as well? Sokka had a million questions to answer, and he didn't know who to ask. What he did know was that he couldn't stay here any longer. The fighting might have drawn some attention, and the police might be on their way. "The police. Of course." He knew who he had to talk to now. Picking up and securing his boomerang and grappling hook to his belt, Sokka glanced at the carnage he'd caused. He'd killed so many people, and for what? So he could avenge a Triad member? What was the point of all of this, if she had been just as bad as the people he'd fought? Sokka shook his head and ran towards the door, throwing his grappling hook onto the roof of a neighboring warehouse. No sooner had Sokka gotten on top of the warehouse did see the police rushing towards the scene of the crime. His crime. He needed answers, but they would have to wait until tomorrow. For now, he just needed to get home.

As Sokka walked into his home, duffel bag filled with his armor, he couldn't help but feel that he'd been lied to. His entire encounter with Akane- no, with Fuyuko, could have been fabricated. She had seemed so nice, but how could she have been nice and also done horrible things for the Triad? Sokka shook his head to clear his thoughts, setting his bag down in front of the mannequin. He was getting ahead of himself, what needed to happen now was sleep, then he could get some answers in the morning. Seeing that it was close to three in the morning from the clock sitting on his bedside table, Sokka groaned. He would be living off of little sleep tonight, it seemed.

Sokka woke with the sun, as usual, but his mood hadn't improved much since he had gone to sleep. Thoughts of Fuyuko still plagued his mind, and the figurative blood on his hands didn't help his situation. Despite knowing that they were gangsters and thugs, it didn't make the aftermath any easier. Even if they were scum, they were still people. Shaking his head, Sokka forced himself to go through his new routine of dressing and eating. While he was looking for his one dressy outfit, Sokka discovered a closet filled with various shirts and pants. Apparently Katara had decided that his own clothing wasn't enough, and had opted to fill his house with a new wardrobe. Making a mental note to have Aang thank his sister for him, Sokka grabbed a red outfit and started putting it on. Wearing red reminded him of their time in the Fire Nation, back when they were pretending to be undercover. With a chuckle, Sokka remembered the times he had become the great Wang Fire. What a pathetic alias it had been, but some of the Fire Nation nationals had believed him, surprisingly enough. Lost in thought, Sokka absent-mindedly practiced his old Wang Fire impression in front of the mirror. It lacked the great beard, but he still had it down to a science. After a few more antics, Sokka was finally dressed and fed, making his way out of the apartment and into the streets. He had a clear goal in mind, today. He had to ask Toph if she knew anything about Fuyuko.

By the time he made it to the station, the sun had risen and was beating down on his neck. It was sure to be a hot one, today. Entering the station, Sokka walked up to the receptionist with his friendliest smile. He remembered this woman from the other day, so he was sure she wouldn't mind him seeing Toph again. His hopes were confirmed when she smiled back, not even hesitating to let him through. As he made his way through the main area, he saw a new board being put up, with several pictures already tacked on. Slowing down, Sokka took some time to investigate the new case. He recognized the scene from the photographs immediately, though. How could he not, when he'd been there just last night? Apparently, he'd drawn the attention of the police with his stunt last night. Forcing himself to look away from the carnage, Sokka walked up to Toph's office and knocked once. After Toph waved him in, Sokka took the same seat he'd taken during his first visit. "Hey there, Toph. How's the baddy catching business?"

Toph grinned her usual grin as she set some papers aside. "It's been booming, as usual. No offense, Sokka, but what are you doing here? I don't think it's late enough to be going for drinks, after all."

Sokka smiled back and let out a light chuckle before getting back to business. He needed to come up with a lie that wasn't really a lie. "I'm not gonna lie to you, Toph. I came for information. I was out beating up some Triad members last night- I know, I know, it's not legal, but I had to do something to keep from losing my mind. As I beat up one of them, they mentioned the name 'Fuyuko', and I was wondering if you could tell me just who that person is?"

Toph's smile faded at the mention of the name, and she leaned forward with a grim look on her face. "Sokka, were you at the docks last night? Were you anywhere near warehouse 14 or Yang's noodle shop?"

Sokka frowned as Toph talked, knowing that she'd be looking for any hint of a lie. Well, he'd been preparing for this moment ever since he saw Azula do it, so there was no time like the present. "No, Toph, I was over in the market district. I was prowling for some thugs that might know why what happened had to Akane happened. All I got out of it was the name Fuyuko, though. I figure that this Fuyuko has something to do with the Triad, so I wanted to talk to you about it." Deciding that this wouldn't be enough, Sokka went for the oblivious angle. "Why? Did something happen at the docks? It has something to do with that new case board that they're creating out in the moose-bullpen, doesn't it."

After a second of silence, where Sokka was sure that his lies had been found out, Toph leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Yeah, something did happen at the docks, and at Yang's noodle shop. Some vigilante, and sorry Sokka but you don't qualify for that title, chopped up a bunch of Triad thugs before assaulting an alleged Triad meeting that we had been trying to find for months. The only survivor wouldn't say a word, and was out on the streets before we had a chance to scrounge up some real evidence against her. But that's enough about that. You want to know about Fuyuko." Toph scratched the back of her head as she collected her thoughts. "Fuyuko was… an interesting case. Started with the Triad during their formation, and came to be known as a high end enforcer for their nonbender branch. Oddly enough, her last known appearance was when she defended a council member's child from the Triad. Apparently she couldn't handle the idea of a child being hurt, so she killed the other members of her team and vanished without a trace." Toph leaned forward in her seat and stared at Sokka. "Are you thinking that Akane was Fuyuko?"

Sokka was so stunned by the revelation that Fuyuko had tried to be a better person that he barely even registered Toph's question. Obviously she had still been a bad person, but she had tried her best to change. Sokka was so distracted by this revelation that he jumped when Toph slammed on the desk.

"Meathead, have you heard a word that I said?! Of course you didn't…" Toph sighed and leaned back into her chair once more. "So if what you're thinking was right, then that explains why the Triad would kill a random woman outside of her home. Not to mention that it explains why she was being attacked when you found her. Apparently your presence escalated the Triad's actions, and they did something drastic."

It was his fault that she had been killed? Sokka went pale at the notion, and Toph was quick to see, or feel, the way his face had drained of color. While she went through the motions of trying to dissuade him, all that Sokka could think of is how he could have saved Fuyuko simply by not being there. The Triad obviously had thought he was her bodyguard, and struck harder as a result. It made just enough sense to make him sick to his stomach.

Standing up, Sokka put his hand on the chair to steady himself. "Toph, I gotta get to work, but thanks for all your help. Seriously, I would have been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off if it weren't for you, buddy. We really should go get some drinks sometime. I know I could use one."

Toph nodded, understanding that Sokka needed his space. As Sokka left her office, he heard her say that they should get drinks next Friday. Grunting an affirmative, Sokka closed the door and began his walk to the council building. As he passed the receptionist, he flashed his usual smile, but even she seemed to know that it was fake, and the look of concern she wore had him moving all the faster. He had just enough room for a pity party made for one, thank you very much. Weaving his way through the morning crowds, Sokka's mind drifted back to Fuyuko. She had been getting out of the life of crime, so what did that say about the thugs he had killed last night? Any one of them could have had a family that they needed to support, or a hidden desire to stop what they were doing and live a normal life. They were people too, and he had cut them down just like Jet would have cut down a Fire Nation patrol when they were younger. He had treated them as less than human, and that wasn't acceptable. But he still needed to find the man or woman who had ordered Fuyuko's death, and he needed to do it soon. Sokka wasn't sure what exactly he would do when he found the person behind her murder, but he knew that he couldn't go around treating every member of the Triad like the scum that ran it.

Once Sokka got to the council building and made his way into his work area, his brain hadn't settled down in the slightest. He worked his way through several contracts detailing what would go into the new trade agreements and the minutiae that entailed, all the while thinking about what he could do in the fight against the Triad. His attention so was utterly divided between thinking and working that he didn't even notice Aang until the airbender cleared his throat directly behind Sokka. Jumping for the second time in as many hours, Sokka spun around and grinned at the airbending master. "Aang, buddy, how's it going? Sorry I didn't notice you earlier, but i've been focusing on all of the details for the new trading agreements. Nobody told me there was going to be so much paperwork!"

Aang chuckled softly at Sokka, before becoming more serious. With a grim look on his face, he motioned for Sokka to follow him. Not seeing any reason why he shouldn't spend a moment talking in private with his favorite little buddy, Sokka extracted himself from his desk and walked with Aang into the gardens. The moment that they were alone, Aang turned to Sokka and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sokka, be honest with me. Were you out fighting criminals last night?"

Sokka tensed for a second, but then he realized that Toph must have told Aang about his time out last night. Sighing in an attempt to look contrite, Sokka nodded his head. "Yeah, Aang. I was out trying to find Akane's killer."

"Sokka, you can't just take justice into your own hands anymore! You could have been hurt, or worse, killed!" Aang said, voice just below a shout as the anger and worry showed plain on his face. "I know she was important to you, but you have to let the authorities deal with this, alright? You can't just go fighting the Triad like they're some simple group of bandits. They're highly organized, and they're dangerous. Not to mention there are more dangerous criminals running around at night. Did you see the damage that was done at Yang's noodle shop? People died, Sokka, and that could have been you." Aang turned around and threw his hands up while Sokka tried to figure out how both Toph and Aang knew that noodle shop so well. "Did you even think about how Katara would feel if you ended up dead in the streets because you went chasing after the name of a Triad member? Did you think about how I would feel? I bet you didn't. I bet you were so focused on vengeance that you didn't think about how devastated the rest of us would be if you got hurt or killed."

At that, Sokka snapped. He grabbed Aang by the shoulders and spun him around so that Sokka's eyes were bearing down on his. "Of course I thought about what would happen if I got hurt! But I couldn't just let a dead woman lay on the floor without finding out why they had killed her. And I got my answer, Aang. She was ex-triad. She was someone who tried to change for the better, and they killed her because I got involved." At that, Aang's eyes widened in shock. "Do you even know what that guilt feels like? How it feels to know that if you had just not been an idiot that you'd have saved a life? Because this isn't the first time I've felt this pain. So you know what? I wasn't focused on vengeance, I was focused on justice. But now that I know I've fucked things up again, i'm just gonna focus on trying my hardest not to get anyone else killed. I'm done playing hero, Aang. I'm done."

As Sokka's outburst faded, he realized what he had said was true. He had been playing the hero in an attempt to cover up his guilt. Slicing his way through people who, while not innocent, were certainly not deserving of death. He was no better than Jet in that respect, but unlike their long dead friend, Sokka knew he could be better. He would get his answers without killing those in his way. Without realizing it, he had turned away from Aang, and when he turned back, his old buddy was looking like someone had zapped him with a bolt of lightning. Sighing and putting an arm around Aang's shoulder, he guided the airbender back into the nicer areas of the garden.

"Look, Aang, i'm not gonna go rushing out into the night just to make myself feel better. I had a plan to find some answers, and I found them. I don't have any reason to go out and kick bad guy butt anymore, okay?" Sokka said as he guided Aang to the koi pond. He wanted to make sure Aang wouldn't suspect him when things started picking up.

"Okay, Sokka. I'm sorry I got so angry… I was just really worried about you. You can't run off without backup again. I may not agree with you, but i'd help you fight these guys in any way we can. Just make sure you don't get hurt, alright?"

Sokka chuckled at how young Aang sounded. It was like dealing with that bright eyed young kid from the iceberg. But Sokka knew that he wouldn't be able to promise that. So what he did instead was the only thing he could think of. "Hey, I told you. I'm not gonna go running off fighting bad guys just to feel better."

He would fight them to make things better for everyone.


	3. Chapter 3

"So, Ambassador Sokka. It's been a little over a week since you began your employment in our glorious Republic City." The reporter shifted a little in her seat, giving Sokka a blazing grin that was so fake he could tell that it hurt her face. "How are you finding your time here at the great melting pot?"

Sokka returned her fake smile with one of his own as he leaned close to the microphone. "It's been quite an interesting adjustment period. It seems that a lot has been going on with this city as soon as I got here. I mean, two days after I showed up and got settled in we had a vigilante take the fight to the Triad."

The reporter nodded enthusiastically, likely interested in using the airtime to push her own agenda. "Yes, indeed. We've heard from the esteemed Chief Bei-fong that this new vigilante has been shutting down several Slag, or Nectar, dens in the city. Police seem to be scrambling to keep up as this new hero fills their jail cells with the worst of the Triad. What are your thoughts on this new member in the fight for justice?"

Sokka chuckled at the question, trying to keep his mood lighthearted as he thought of what to say. He'd expected this interview to turn towards the vigilante, but he'd thought that it would take more than his gentle mention to do so. "Well, I have to say that it's nice knowing there are people willing to stand up against evil and do the right thing, but it would make me feel a lot safer at night if this vigilante- what did your paper call him?"

"The Wolf of Republic City, since witnesses have reported the man wearing wolf themed crimson armor."

Sokka nodded, internally pleased with the name, and continued speaking. "Right, as I was saying, I would feel safer if this Wolf was a council sanctioned entity. It's a little concerning that he's running around, breaking arms and legs, without anyone to tell him what to do."

The reporter chuckled lightly, as hollow sounding as her smile looked, and shook a finger as if he were a naughty child. "Is that Councilman Aang I hear in your voice? It's okay, Ambassador, you can tell us how you really feel."

While Sokka returned the chuckle outwardly, his eyes turned to stone as he stared down the reporter. "That's a funny joke, Chisato. But really, I think we'd all be better off if this Wolf had a leash. That being said, I don't think that will happen any time soon, nor do I think he'll be stopping his obvious crusade against the Triad."

Coughing slightly as she averted her gaze, the reporter shuffled her papers and let another person talk. A man next to her, one he didn't recognize from Aang's brief pre-conference rundown, raised his hand. When Sokka pointed to him, the man cleared his throat before speaking. "What are your thoughts on the methods of the vigilante? His first crime scenes displayed the usage of a sword, while his later appearances have attributed him to using a large club of unknown origin. Not to mention that his lethality has gone down significantly since his shift in weapons. As a warrior yourself, could you possibly give us some insight into why this change might have occurred?"

Taking a deep breath, and releasing it in a sigh, Sokka thought it over for a moment, trying to form a theory that wouldn't give him away. "Perhaps it was an outside influence. Maybe someone who didn't even know that they were talking to the Wolf made them think that outright murder wasn't the way to go. After all, killing is something that should be avoided as much as possible. Coming from someone who had the displeasure of taking lives during the great war, I can tell you that even someone who works in evil ways doesn't deserve to die. In the end, we're all just human. Everyone deserves a second chance."

A murmur swept through the crowd of reporters as they wrote down what he'd said. After that, the questions were much tamer, focusing more on his current workings as the Ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe. After the conference ended, Sokka made his way out of the meeting room back to his desk. He hadn't expected to be ambushed by a crowd of reporters just over a week after his arrival in Republic City, but apparently he was just as popular as the rest of his friends, if not more so to those without bending. The people had liked that a nonbender had fought in crucial events during the war, besting some of the world's more skilled benders during his time in the group. It had almost turned into a children's story by this point. Something that parents would tell their children as they sent the young minds off to sleep. After Aang had told one person about what they had done during the war, it had spread like pentapox.

Sokka realized he needed to pay attention when the ambassador to the Earth Kingdom had complimented his Appa doodle on a piece of scratch paper. It had taken some time, but eventually Sokka learned how to draw better than a five year old. Still, if he was dragging others into his distractions, he needed to get back to work. Turning back to his new contracts for fishing trade, Sokka let his mind wander while he worked. It wasn't hard for him to multitask in this job, as it was largely monotonous paperwork. So while he signed off on yet another contract for the fur trade in the South Pole, Sokka pondered what exactly he would do tonight as the Wolf. He had shut down several Slag dens in the area, and there really was only one big den left in the district. It made sense to go after them, and they might actually give him answers as to who was responsible for the death of Fuyuko. He had found out that it was a high level firebender, one who was in the inner circle of the Triad bosses, or may actually be one of the Triad bosses. He just needed to find out who and where they were.

As he was pondering on whether or not to use a stealthier approach, Toph walked up and kicked him out of the chair. In a heartbeat, Sokka had turned in midair and slammed his fist into her leg. As he hit the ground, Sokka realized that it was Toph who was now nursing her leg, and immediately launched into an apology. "Oh spirits, Toph! Don't scare me like that! I'm sorry about hitting you, I just reacted in the moment."

Toph, still massaging her leg, snorted at his attempted apology. "Yeah, that was some reaction. Punch me in the leg while you're on the floor. Next time use your words if you're gonna say that you love me. Anyways, that's not why I'm here. I'm here-" Toph emphasized the last word by grabbing Sokka's collar and heaving him to his feet. "- to get you drunk. You promised that we'd go drinking some night, and i'm calling it in. I want to hear some stories about your dad trying to hook you up, and we could both use a drink after the week we've had. Now, let's get going."

Without another word, Sokka was dragged out of the office by the not-so-surprisingly strong young woman. At this point, he'd realized that there was no point in struggling, so he just tried to keep pace with his friend until she released his collar. As they walked, Sokka decided that his plans to close down another Slag den could wait a night. It had been forever since the two of them really talked, after all.

When they reached her preferred bar, Toph immediately got them a booth in the back and motioned for the waiter. When he arrived at their table, Toph immediately started talking. "Alright, I want two of the hardest and nastiest drinks you've got. I want my friend to crawl out of here with two people helping him, at least!"

The waiter did nothing more than raise an eyebrow, nod, and walk over to the bartender. When the bartender looked their way, Toph gave him a thumbs up and a cheeky grin, which made the burly man burst into laughter. Not much later there were two amber filled glasses sitting on the table. Sokka had taken one sip and fallen into a fit of coughing, while Toph drank the concoction like a true professional. As they drank, the two shared personally horrifying stories about suitors and marriage offers. Apparently, Toph had had the misfortune of being courted by a man her age who thought that the end of the war had been 'terrible for business.' The man had found himself outside before he even realized what had happened. Sokka had countered with a proposal from a northern noble family who had complimented him on 'upsetting the line of succession' during the war, which had quickly made Sokka fly into a rage and demand they leave. As per the norm, both of them had been scolded by their parents for not 'taking other factors into account' in the proposals.

Several drinks later, Toph had moved on from the topic of marriage to the constant insanity that was her job as Chief of Police. "I tell you, this last week has been so full of paperwork that it makes my head spin. This Wolf is getting too much done, I tell ya."

Sokka chuckled at the notion that she was talking to said Wolf without knowing it, but he nodded nonetheless. "It's been a busy week for both the vigilante and the police. Who knew we'd have another person with as much of a hatred for crime as us."

Toph grinned knowingly, in a way that made Sokka very nervous. "Did I ever tell you that I met the Wolf?"

Sokka's insides turned to stone as he turned to face her directly. "R-really? What was this guy like?"

Toph's grin widened at his obvious discomfort. "Oh, it was before he really called himself the Wolf. Guy came in and asked some funky questions. Made me wonder if I should let him roam the streets at night. What would you say, if you could defend this vigilante's actions?"

Sokka choked on his drink. She knew, and he was an idiot for thinking that he'd fooled her with his little trick. Trying his best to slow his heartbeat to a normal level, Sokka gave her a half hearted smile. "I would say… that as long as he's doing good work, you should let him try his best. That it's best for everyone if he keeps taking the fight to the Triad, and the pressure off of the police. I figure that if he's helping out, and not getting too many people killed, he's a useful asset."

At that, Toph burst into laughter. Slamming a fist on the table, she continued laughing for a good minute. "That's just like you, Sokka. Seeing a vigilante as an asset to the police. But what if he goes rogue? What if he starts attacking the police because some of them are less than reputable?" Her face turned stoic as she said the last sentence, not even pretending to look at him anymore.

Sokka knew he had one chance to keep himself out of jail and doing the right thing. "I don't think he'd do that. I think the Wolf would trust in the abilities of the police department and try his best to avoid hurting any officers of the law, no matter how corrupt or bent they were. After all, the police is run by you, so it can't be too corrupt." He knew he was pandering on that last line, but he was getting desperate.

Toph was silent for a moment, simply taking a drink or two before responding. "Well, that sounds like a good enough reason to keep this Wolf on the streets. I mean hell, if he makes my job easier, why not give the bastard a chance?"

Sokka slumped forward onto the table in relief, and Toph thumped him on the back while she laughed at his total break of character. After such a tense conversation, she decided that there was a dire need for more drink. Three mugs later, however, Sokka had decided he should leave while he could still stand. His vision was already swimming slightly, and he knew that one more mug would be the end of him. Waving off the waiter, much to Toph's dismay, he put down enough yuan's on the table to make sure the waiter and bartender would be happy. After ensuring the bill was paid, Sokka scooped up the spunky chief of police and put her over his shoulder. Toph did little more than grunt as he carried her back to his place.

Not knowing where Toph lived in the city, Sokka had made the decision that they would both be sleeping at his place tonight. As he was walking back to his apartment, however, Sokka noticed a few people walking behind him, all wearing similar outfits. Heading down a dead end alley to make sure that innocents wouldn't be involved, Sokka set Toph down and spun around. He was a little more drunk than he thought he'd be, because instead of spinning around to face them, he almost ended up slamming into the wall next to him. Looking over at Toph, he saw she was little better, barely standing and almost knocking over a few trash cans in her attempts to stay upright. By the time he had focused on the Triad members again, they had multiplied. Blinking heavily, Sokka stared at the twelve large assortment of benders and nonbenders that were blocking the entrance to the alleyway.

The main thug walked forward, a swagger in his step that made him look like he'd never done this sort of thing before. "Alright, Chief Bei-Fong. We've got you and your little friend cornered. You're drunk, it's late, so why don't you just come with us, huh? We'll make sure you're taken care of."

Toph's response was in the form of a chunk of alleyway that flew past the thug's head and impacted into one of his subordinates behind him. "Woah! Okay, looks like we'll need to give you a beatdown first."

At that the group closed in, moving mostly towards Toph. That was their first mistake, as Sokka launched himself in a drunken fury at the main thug, fists flying with him to deliver a punch that broke the man's nose. In seconds the brawl had started, and chunks of earth and fire were flying everywhere. Sokka and Toph ended up back to back, with each of them taking on a firebender. Sokka's response was to grab Toph by the arms and swing her into the benders like a club, something which had her cackling with glee. As soon as her feet touched the ground and he had released her, Toph sent another couple chunks of rock into some of the last remaining thugs that were still standing.

With all but one down, Sokka and Toph advanced towards the gangster in a menacing way. This was dampered by the fact that Toph hadn't stopped laughing since the beginning of the fight. As Sokka and Toph finished the fight with a synchronized punch to the thug's nose, he couldn't help but join her in laughing. Toph was ecstatic. "That'll teach the Triad to send a bunch of pansies after us! We've fought worse odds when we were kids!"

When she did her final cheer however, she sent them both sprawling with a pillar of rock. After the shock at being thrown to the ground passed, however, the two started laughing all the harder. Like the drunken fools they were, they sat there amongst the unconscious ruffians for almost twenty minutes before Sokka managed to stand up. As Sokka turned to Toph, he saw her make grabbing motions with her hands. Sighing, he scooped her up into his arms once more and carried her bridal style to his house, with the earthbender cheering all the way home.

It took little more than ten minutes to walk back to his apartment, and mere seconds to slump the already sleeping Toph onto his bed. Making sure she was tucked in comfortably, Sokka patted her on the forehead and headed over to the couch. As he lay on the couch, Sokka hoped that his night would be a restful one, as he had much to do in the next couple days.

To his dismay, Sokka's night was plagued with visions of Yue sacrificing herself and Fuyuko being stabbed outside of her apartment. Both of them looked at him as they faded from life, with Fuyuko asking him 'why?' as her life drained from her body. Sokka was pulled from sleep by a hand on his face. As he came to, Sokka couldn't help but lean into the gentle touch. He had been crying, he could tell from the way his face was wet, but as he opened his eyes, all thought of his own problems vanished. Seeing Toph's face so obviously covered with distress and worry, Sokka decided it was time to do what he did best. Ignore his emotional distress and fake happy.

Slowly getting up, Sokka smiled his hollow smile at Toph before he remembered that she couldn't see it. Instead, he decided to plant a hand on her shoulder and laugh. "Man, what a night that was, am I right? We had some fun, kicked some butt, and got seriously plastered!"

Toph saw through his false happiness in a heartbeat, but she, like him, knew that it was for the best to just ignore the problem right now. Letting out a small laugh of her own, Toph rubbed her forehead and nodded. "Yeah, it was a heck of a night. Now what do I have to do to get some breakfast around here? It better not be something impossible, like finding you a girlfriend."

Sokka's laughter turned genuine at the jab, and he slapped Toph's shoulder in retaliation. "I'll have you know that i'm a ladies man to the max, my friend. But no, all you have to do is wait while I fix us up a decent meal."

After fixing them both a breakfast that was consumed even faster than usual, the two friends parted ways, each heading for their own place of work. Before they departed, however, Sokka dropped a hint to Toph that the Wolf would be going for a big haul tonight, and that it would be good to be prepared. Nodding, Toph had said that the police would be ready for whatever the Wolf could throw to them. After making it to work, Sokka realized that he was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday, and chuckled at the implications that would have had if he'd spent the night with anyone other than Toph. When it came to her, spending a night beating up thugs while plastered wasn't just a fake excuse, it was reality.

His day passed quickly, with not much in the way of paperwork appearing on his desk. By the time work was over, he'd barely done anything aside from nurse his headache. After work, of course, Sokka headed straight home to change into his armor, making sure to once again scale a neighboring building before actually putting it on. It wouldn't do to have someone spot the Wolf of Republic City walking out of an Ambassador's apartment. After he was finished donning his armor, Sokka strapped his Kanabo to his back, and fastened the rest of his equipment where it belonged. The Kanabo was a Kyoshi Island weapon, and had been gifted to him by Suki. He was glad that he hadn't decided to throw it away after they ended their relationship, because it was definitely a useful thing to fight thugs with. It was a heavy club, with knobs running all across the face of the weapon. While it was a more brutal weapon than the Jian that he normally used, it had the potential to be nonlethal based on how it was used. The Jian, while more elegant, was a killing weapon, and he had no intention of taking more lives than absolutely necessary.

As Sokka made his way towards the last Slag den in the area, he made sure to keep an ear out for any possible trouble that was going down around him. Thankfully, the thugs were less active tonight, making it so that Sokka only had to stop once to put down some muggers that thought they were being clever in toying with their prey. A quick sweep of his Kanabo left the thugs groaning on the ground, legs broken. Nodding silently to the victim, he made his way back towards the Den.

Once he arrived at the den, Sokka was surprised by the number of guards. Making sure his weapons were secured before he dropped, Sokka jumped off of the two story building he was on and landed on one of the guards. Quickly drawing his club, Sokka laid into the three remaining guards that were outside. Several sickening crunches of bone later, the outside was clear. Heading inside, Sokka couldn't help but be disgusted with the rows of people laying on couches, drugged out of their minds. He knew things could get bad for people, but turning to dangerous stuff like this made him sick to his stomach. Shaking his head, Sokka focused on the mission, stalking through the rooms of the drug den and incapacitating any thugs foolish enough to get in his way. As he got to the security area, Sokka slammed the door open and found himself facing another six opponents. While they were still reacting, Sokka had crossed the distance to the first thug and slammed his club into the man's stomach before whipping it across the side of their head.

By that time the others had recovered from their shock, moving in a circle to try and surround him. Sokka refused to let that happen, charging in with an intimidating overhead swipe that sent one man to the floor and another flying into his allies. With half of their numbers down for the count, Sokka turned to face the remaining three. One turned to flee, only for a throwing knife to bury itself into his leg. The man went down with a shout of pain, and the other two charged simultaneously. One had a dagger and the other started to throw a fireball, so Sokka focused on the bender first, kicking him in the stomach and headbutting the bender to the floor. By that time, the dagger wielding thug was too close to use the club, so Sokka simply dodged the thrusting knife and disarmed the man with a gauntleted fist to the forearm. Once the man was unarmed, Sokka wasted no time in slamming the thug's head into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

After a week of breaking down doors and busting up drug dens, Sokka had become familiar with the general layout of their dens. Usually, the security room was what separated the lead gangster's office from the general customers. As such, Sokka knocked politely on the door three times before he kicked it down. Once the door gave way, Sokka got a glimpse of fire heading in his direction and rolled forward to avoid the blaze. As he stood up, Sokka swung his club in an attempt to catch the firebender off guard. The cry that came from in front of him as he opened his eyes told him he had been successful. Vaulting over the desk, Sokka landed on top of his foe, only to feel shock as he recognized her. It was the firebender from the docks, and she looked very unhappy to see him. He quickly pinned down her arm and legs with his own, rendering her unable to fight back.

She scoffed at him pinning her down, and looked up at him with a smirk on her face. "Really? We gonna have a tumble now or something? Sorry, pal, but i'm just not that into you."

Ignoring the rising heat on his face, Sokka drew back his left fist and punched the side of her head. "Shut up, I don't need your flirting, I need answers. Where is the person who ordered the hit on Fuyuko? If you tell me, maybe i'll let you leave with your arm." Sokka emphasized the threat by unsheathing his dagger and placing the blade on her left elbow. It made him uncomfortable to threaten taking someone's only working arm, but this woman wouldn't tell him what he needed to know unless he really threatened her.

Terror flashed across the woman's face as the knife made contact with her skin, and she closed her eyes before letting out a shaky breath. "Fine. Eiji, the man who ordered the hit on Fuyuko, spends most nights at the Triad outpost in the shipping district. It's a big building, four stories, you can't miss it. Now will you let me go?"

Sokka smiled down at her underneath his helmet. Finally, he was making progress. "Sure, i'll let you go. Right into the waiting arms of the police." With that, he withdrew the knife from her arm and slammed the hilt into her forehead. As the woman fell still, Sokka stood up and made his way towards the entrance. This was the breakthrough he'd been searching for. Eiji was his next target, and he was going to make sure that the bastard got what was coming to him.

The moon was full, Sokka noticed, as he made his way towards the large building. When he was within twenty feet of it, and still out of sight, he noticed that there was only one guard on duty in front of the building. This was perfect, he would be able to walk right through the door and confront the bastard who killed Fuyuko. Stretching for a moment to loosen up any tense muscles, Sokka stalked out of his hiding place and right up to the guard on duty. The man, no older than Sokka himself, noticed him immediately. Instead of getting ready for a fight, however, the man immediately prostrated himself on the ground, seemingly terrified.

Sokka looked at the man, and thoughts of Fuyuko strayed into his mind. Perhaps this guard was simply trying to find a way to escape this life as well. Nodding slightly to himself, Sokka walked past the guard and through the doors to the Triad outpost. Sokka made his way through the seemingly abandoned outpost with trepidation. The place was too quiet. It all felt like an ambush. Still, he couldn't risk wasting this chance, so Sokka made his way up to the third floor. When he finally saw Eiji, the man had his back turned to Sokka, which made it perfect for him to sneak up behind the bastard. Drawing his dagger silently, Sokka took two steps into the room before he heard the creaking of the staircase behind him. Whipping around, Sokka prepared to throw his dagger at this interloper. His arm didn't make it up past his ear, freezing in place like the rest of his body.

"I knew you were pathetic, Wolf, but I didn't think you were the kind of man to try and stab someone in the back." Sokka's eyes locked onto the guard from before, but something was different about him. His hands were raised in a way that Sokka had only seen once before. Immediately, Sokka tried to move his arms again. It was to no effect, as he had been frozen in place. He was being bloodbent, and that meant it was all over for him. He'd felt this before, when Hama had tried to get Katara to become her apprentice, but that didn't make it any less terrifying.

"Still, what could one expect from a nonbender? Cowardly tactics from someone too scared to take a life, only to change their tune when faced with someone they seek vengeance against. Did you honestly think that you would be able to walk into the same room as Eiji, third head of the Triad, and leave it alive?" Head of the Triad? Sokka's mind whirled. He had been tricked, sent here to die. They had wanted him to come, and only today. When this blood bending son of a bitch could do his tricks. The Triad was a far more formidable enemy than he had expected, and he was about to pay for that expectation with his life.

As Sokka despaired, he felt his arms jerkily grasp his knife in a reverse grip, before they plunged the blade into his stomach once, twice, and a third final time. Sokka gasped in pain as the knife tore through his armor and insides with ease. He saw the knife clatter to the floor before he noticed that his body was doing the same. Laying on the floor, Sokka saw the bloodbender walk over so that the man was kneeling in front of him. "This is the end of your story, pup. Your life ends here, bleeding out in front of a head of the Triad and his strongest lieutenant, Yakone. Don't forget that name as the light fades from your eyes, boy. Don't forget who did this to you."

Sokka felt rage course through his veins, and with desperation, he moved. Throwing the hardest punch he could, Sokka knocked this Yakone to the floor before scrambling away from the bastard. He knew they would catch him if he used the stairs, so that left only one option. In desperation, Sokka flung himself at the ornate window next to him.

Glass shattered as he flew into the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Sokka fell into the dumpster with the grace of a stone in free fall. Head swimming with pain, he still had the presence of mind to lay absolutely still for the next five minutes. He heard voices nearby after a few moments, no doubt the Triad guards that had been hiding were looking for him. Slowing his breathing so his chest wouldn't move, Sokka waited for the voices to pass by before clambering out of the dumpster and trying to stand on his own two feet. Thrilled to find that he still had the strength to walk, Sokka slowly made his way back towards his apartment.

With it being as late as it was, he was able to make his way into the apartment and upstairs without notice. Once he was inside and his armor was removed, Sokka quickly grabbed his makeshift medical kit from the satchel on his table. Gritting his teeth, Sokka quickly removed his shirt and started working on sewing closed the knife wounds. As he grunted through the pain, Sokka was glad that he had kept his knife clean, for it would be harder to heal from an infected wound.

After the work was done, Sokka gingerly moved his armor underneath the bed, making sure that it wouldn't be found if he had someone other than Toph came over. There was no way he'd be able to talk his way out of that corner if they found the Wolf's armor sitting on his floor. Once his armor was properly hidden, Sokka clambered into the bed and lay on top of the covers. Despite the burning pain in his stomach, sleep claimed him within moments.

Sokka awoke to the sound of Katara yelling in the living room, with her obvious ranting growing closer each second. "Just five more minutes, Katara…" Sokka said sleepily, trying to appease his angry sister with his eyes still closed. As the anger came into his room, he heard her stop talking, before immediately rushing over

He felt Katara's hands on his face before they moved to his stomach, making him cringe in pain. "Oh spirits, Sokka! Who did this to you? You look like an ostrich-horse ran you over… and have you been stabbed?! Oh, Sokka, what happened?" The motherly concern oozing from her voice made his head hurt for a moment, before he realized he just had a headache. Apparently, since everything was on fire too, he had a fever.

"Lost a fight…should see the other guy…" Sokka mumbled, slipping in and out of consciousness. Before long he felt a chill settle over his stomach, and he realized that Katara was using her bending to help him heal. As the pain in his stomach faded away, Sokka decided that if he ever got the chance to be a bender, he'd be a waterbender. That healing stuff really felt nice. In moments he was unconscious again.

When Sokka awoke once more, he felt like he could take on Bosco and win. Sitting up and stretching, Sokka opened his eyes to find Katara slumped in a chair next to him, her head laying on a pillow. As Sokka moved to help get her more comfortable, a shushing noise distracted him. "Don't wake her, Sokka. After all of the healing she just did, she needs her rest."

Turning towards the doorway, Sokka saw Aang standing there, a look of melancholy on his face as he stared at Katara. "She really tired herself out. Even refused to take a break until the stab wounds were healed." Turning to look at Sokka, Aang's face hardened and he scowled. "So, Sokka, what did you do two nights ago that got you in such bad shape?"

At the notion of it being two days later, Sokka's eyes widened in shock. "It's been that long?" Aang nodded, walking over to sit next to Sokka on the bed.

"After you didn't show up to work for a day, Katara became concerned. She decided that since she still had a key to your apartment that she would just barge in and demand some answers from you." Sokka chuckled at the notion of Katara bursting in like the old days, with no concern for his privacy. Aang smiled at the idea as well, before his face returned to it's concerned look. "After she found you, she immediately got some water from the kitchen and started healing your wounds. I came by to check on the two of you after she didn't come back for five hours. When I found her hunched over your unconscious body, I was distraught. You had bruises all over your body, and according to her, several cracked ribs. Add to that the knife wounds, and you paint a pretty grisly picture. So i'll ask you what she couldn't. Sokka, what on earth happened to you?"

Sokka felt a wave of guilt crash over him. His sister had spent so much time healing him that she passed out, and no doubt had been incredibly worried while she did it. He was at a loss for words, but he knew that Aang wouldn't accept anything less than an explanation, so he quickly came up with the best idea that he could. "Toph and I got into a fight a couple of days back, some Triad thugs that had a grudge against her. We had been blasted, so it was more of a fight than it would have been sober. Any ways, those thugs found me last...two nights ago. I did my best to fight back, but they caught me by surprise. After I barely managed to win, I crawled home and stitched myself up. The last thing I remember after that was crawling into bed before waking up just now. I'm really sorry I worried you guys, I just didn't think I could make it to a hospital or Air Temple Island. I hope you can forgive me for this, Aang."

Aang sighed softly after Sokka's explanation and shook his head, but his expression turned from somber to humorous. "Of course i'll forgive you, Sokka. It's her you should be worrying about." Aang said, gesturing to Sokka's stirring little sister.

Katara mumbled something as she sat up straight, rubbing her eyes for a second before snapping back to reality, her gaze focusing on Sokka. Without saying a word, she launched herself at her brother, tackling him into a hug. "You're okay! You stupid, stupid asshole, you're alright!" Sokka chuckled, which instantly had Katara slamming her fists against his chest in anger. "What on earth happened to you, you dumb bastard! You could have died if I hadn't come to check on you, so it had better be something good!"

While Sokka caved under the assault, Aang took up the torch and explained Sokka's run in with thugs. The idea that he'd been gotten into a fight before and not told her just made her angrier, but she refrained from hitting him again, instead pushing her hair from her face and attempting to act like she hadn't just put a new bruise on her brother's torso. "Well, I must say that i'm very surprised at you, Sokka. You're no slouch, so just how many people did you have to take on to be beaten so soundly?" At the sound of Aang clearing his throat, Katara coughed and entered lecture mode once more. "I mean, this was very irresponsible of you, Sokka! If you knew there was a target on your back, why didn't you tell anyone? This city is dangerous, and the last thing I want is to find you dead on the floor. It was bad enough that you got hurt so badly you could barely move, but now I find out that the Triad has a grudge against you?"

Standing up, Katara put her hands on her hips, her expression brooking no argument. "That's it. You're gonna spend the next couple days on Air Temple Island with me and Aang."

Sokka almost started to protest, but then he realized that if he spent a few days away from the fight, the Triad would believe he'd given up. That would give him an advantage for a while, and he would take any advantage he could get. Sokka was done playing games. They'd shown him that this was a war, and it was one he intended to win. "Well, when you put it like that, I guess i'll just have to accept your kind offer for a sleepover. When do we tell ghost stories?" Ignoring Katara's scowl, Sokka waggled his eyebrows at Aang, who put a hand over his mouth to stifle the laughter. "Seriously, though, I appreciate you two taking me in while the Triad has it out for me. It means a lot."

At that, Katara smiled and put a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "Of course we'll help, we love you, Sokka. You're my brother, and you're just as good as family to Aang. Just don't go around messing up the meditation sessions that the acolytes do. You won't be leaving the island for the next few days, so make sure to pack a few things to keep yourself busy."

Sokka smiled and nodded, thinking of how much training he could get in with his Jian and a training dummy. It wouldn't be as good as sparring, but he could work on ways to disable his foes without risking an unexpected death. His days of using the Kanabo were done, after all. The Triad had bared it's teeth and made their intentions clear. They wanted to control the city, and with or without the help of the police, he was going to stop them. But that didn't mean he would restrict himself any longer. If he killed, then he killed, but he wouldn't keep himself at a disadvantage when the vile bastards wanted him dead. This wasn't about vengeance any longer, it was about justice. Turning to the two and nodding, Sokka collected a few sets of clothes and his Jian before following the couple out of his apartment. He still felt a little sore around the area he'd been stabbed, but he knew that would get better in time.

The days seemed to pass more quickly without long nights and paperwork filled afternoons, but Sokka kept himself busy with his training. He was able to set up several training mannequins, and made himself work on non lethal attacks while surrounded so as to reduce his possible body count. Cutting tendons in the leg and stabbing through muscles in the arm would work best, so he borrowed some anatomy scrolls from Aang, telling the young airbender that he was looking for non lethal methods of using his sword in a fight, should the fight ever come to him. Aang was pleased at his reasoning, knowing that even if Sokka wasn't against killing, he was doing his best to make sure that deaths didn't happen. Learning the locations of arteries and major veins in the body, Sokka made a point of learning how to stab in ways that were quick to incapacitate but slow to kill. After testing his theories on the mannequins for several days, Sokka believed himself ready to take the fight back to the Triad. Still, he had another day left before he was allowed to return home, according to his sister, so it was time for more information gathering. Sokka knew one of the three heads of the Triad, but he needed to know how they functioned.

After Toph visited one evening, Sokka drilled her for how exactly the Triad moved and worked. He knew a fair amount about the way that the drug dens worked, since he had spent most of his time breaking those establishments down, but he found out that the Triad had gambling dens as well, with most of them residing in the poor side of Republic City. These places were rigged, but less harmful to the population, and as such were generally left alone by the police force. That meant that Sokka could break the steady flow of yuans that went to the Triad. Toph explained that if the Wolf went after these establishments, he would be given little support from the police, but the blow to the criminal organization would be substantial. Sokka knew he would be alone for the most part in his crusade, so he accepted that the police wouldn't be able to help him without making things worse for the public in general.

The next subject that Toph and Sokka discussed had his blood boiling. The Triad was shipping in young men and women from smaller towns and outskirt villages to be used in workshops and drug factories. These people were nothing more than slaves, and treated as such according to what little Toph had found. Although this was easily the most horrific of the Triad's practices, it was also the best kept secret of the organization. Most of the other branches knew nothing about the whereabouts of the drug factories, leaving high level lieutenants and dealers with the locations and just about noone else. If Sokka wanted to dismantle the trafficking trade, he would need to find a way to capture a lieutenant that knew sufficient information. After a few hours where he beat the stitches out of a training mannequin, Sokka had calmed down enough to plan. He would go after the gambling dens first, of course. They were a main source of income for the Triad, and that would change as soon as he started his work. Eventually he'd move his way up the ladder until he found a lieutenant with information on the trafficking industry. Once he had the locations of the factories and workshops, Sokka would begin demolishing the trafficking industry. Those who were in charge of trafficking were not going to survive, it was simple as that. Forcing people into a life of servitude was sickening to him, and he wouldn't allow the scumbags who did such things to roam free.

The hills of paperwork that graced Sokka's desk the next morning made him groan in despair. Sitting down at his desk, Sokka groaned once more as he realized the paperwork wasn't organized in any particular way. Looking over at Aang hopelessly, he saw the young airbender trying not to laugh. "This isn't funny! I'm gone five days and look what I come back to. I'm pretty sure there's more stuff here than I did all last week! It's ludicrous, how am I supposed to get all of this done in one day?!"

Aang couldn't contain his laughter any longer, leaning over and clutching his stomach as the giggles rolled out of him. Regaining his composure, Aang wiped a tear from his eye. "I'm sure that you don't need to do it all today, Sokka. It's probably just a bunch of shipping forms. You did instigate a large long term trade between our cities, and that's bound to come with paperwork."

Sokka nodded grimly, still focusing on Mount Paper, and almost missed the second bout of giggles coming out of his young friend. "Okay, okay. Just get outta here, alright? I've got...a lot of work to do." Making shooing motions with his hands, Sokka sent Aang on his way, and delved into Mount Paper with a grim determination. It took a few hours, but by the time the sun was setting, Sokka had turned Mount Paper into Paper Hill. After organizing the last of the finished paperwork and setting it in the outgoing shelf of his desk, Sokka made his way home.

Once he stepped inside, Sokka quickly took off his shirt and headed to his bed. Pulling the armor out from underneath his bed, Sokka quickly assessed the damage to the lower portion of the chest plate. The three breaches in the surface of the armor made him frustrated, as it reminded him of Yakone. That bastard was easily his greatest enemy, but Sokka had to be sure to only fight him during nights that the man couldn't bloodbend. If Yakone got one more chance to bloodbend Sokka, it would likely be his last moments.

As he returned to the present, Sokka knew that he wouldn't be able to go to out as the Wolf tonight with compromised Armor. Instead, Sokka put his shirt back on and made his way to a local blacksmith that he had passed by once during his nightly endeavors. At that time, the forge had still been hot, but he wasn't sure if his luck would hold out. Thankfully, as he neared the location of the forge, Sokka heard the clanging of a hammer on steel. Sokka let out a sigh of relief as he approached the forge, knocking hard on the door.

The door opened to reveal a woman his age in full blacksmith garb, hammer raised in preparation to strike at any surprise enemies. "What do you want, mister? I got a sword in here almost ready for the quench, and I don't want to have to wait for much longer."

Sokka smiled his friendliest smile as he nodded, knowing just how much time this woman must have spent on a sword. "I need to fix a couple of holes in my friend's chestplate, and you're the closest smith in the area. How much would it cost for me to use your forge tonight?"

Sokka's smile dimmed when the woman scoffed at him and put her hands on her hips. In that moment, she looked just like a grimey version of his sister. "Use my forge? Why can't you just place an order like everybody else? And what's so important about this chestplate that you need it fixed tonight?"

Sighing, Sokka put a hand on his forehead before speaking again. "Listen, my friend is a stubborn bastard who would only let me handle fixing this after I told her that i'd use the forge myself. Apparently it's her late husband's armor, and she doesn't want anyone breaking it. Problem is, she can't stand looking at the knife wounds on the armor every time she sees it. She trusts me well enough, but she wouldn't accept anyone else touching the armor. I really wish I could just put in an order and pick it up in a couple of days, but I have to do this before tomorrow morning or she'll freak out and tear me a new one."

Internally, Sokka panicked as his mouth spewed out a very long and convoluted lie. Despite his fear, however, he kept himself looking frustrated and like he'd be anywhere other than here. The woman stared at him for a second, before sighing and crossing her arms. "Alright, three thousand yuan's and you can use my forge for the night. Just let me finish making my sword, and it's all yours until the sun rises. I've got some good metal in there, and you'll have free reign. I'll even give you a twenty percent discount if you come in during normal hours."

Sokka cringed inside as he thought of how pricey her offer was. He could afford it, but it would take another month before he could spend money on anything else. Still, he needed to fix the armor or else he'd be left without a chest plate to work with. Sighing, Sokka dug into his duffel and pulled out his stowed away yuans. Taking out the desired amount, Sokka handed it over to the woman without protest. Her eyes were wide as she took the money from him, obviously not believing that he would have been able to afford it. "Alright, give me a good thirty minutes to finish quenching this sword, and i'll leave you to it." After the thirty minutes had passed, Sokka entered the forge alone. Once he was done setting up his work station, Sokka got to work on fixing his armor.

While it only took Sokka an hour to properly fix his chest plate, he spent several hours forging another sword, in the same style as the sword sitting in his apartment, but with a different handle material so he could avoid suspicion if any Triad members were to spot the sword on his back while he walked around unarmored. Sokka also added a wolf to the pommel, to make it a specific sword for his nightly excursions. A quick look at the clock in the forge determined that he had enough time to make a decent sheathe, so he wasted no time before he got to work on that. By the time he had finished, Sokka realized he had just enough time to clean up before the sun rose.

After cleaning up his work space and making sure all of the tools were in their original places, Sokka placed the sword and chest plate in his duffle and walked into the front room of the forge, where the shop was. As he approached the main counter, he saw his host sleeping on a chair with her apron discarded to the side. Picking up the apron, Sokka draped it over the smith, wrote a thank you note, and placed a couple coins as a paperweight for the note. Once he was finished, he left without a word, silently closing the door and making his way back to the apartment. Tomorrow night would be his first time back into the fray without his mercy. He'd felt some guilt over how merciless he had been during his first night, but now he knew that balance was the key. Not completely merciful, but not entirely ruthless either. Willing to take a life, but not actively seeking out death.

Once Sokka placed all of his armor in the duffle, he made himself get dressed appropriately and head into work. As the day progressed, he turned the great Paper Hill into several smaller mounds of paper, and eventually he was down to a single mound of paperwork. Time flew when you were swamped with paperwork, though, and by the time he had caught up with the flow of forms it was time to go back home. Standing up from his desk, Sokka made his way out of the door, almost running headlong into a woman. From the profile, she was beautiful, and slightly familiar. As she turned to look at him though, scowl appropriately on her face, Sokka couldn't help but remember her face. Apparently she recognized him as well, likely due to his hair. "Azula! I, uh, thought you were still in the Fire Nation. You know, being...out of sight?"

Azula scoffed, flicking her bangs over one ear. "You mean away from any potential rebellions. Yes, Zuko kept me hidden for a time, but I could no longer sit by while he shortchanged the country we were born to rule. I demanded he place me in a position of power that would allow me to assist in maintaining the glory of the Fire Nation, and he sent me here. Now, seeing as I've explained myself to you, peasant, who on earth allowed you into the ambassador's chambers? A savage like yourself should spend more time hitting rocks together instead of bothering your betters."

Sokka did his best to keep his temper controlled, but he couldn't help the grimace that grew across his features. "For your information, little miss crazy, I started my position as ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe nearly two weeks ago, so there goes your assumption about 'betters'. Since I can only assume you've arrived when I was recovering from my wounds, I'm guessing you're still only a few days into this. So why don't you quit with the stupid little insults, and get used to my face. Because you're gonna see me every day for a long time, and even your barbs get boring after a while. I'd much rather keep them fresh and spaced out over a long time, preferably never hearing you talk again. After all, if you can't keep your head in the game, the Fire Nation will suffer!" Sokka put on a mocking pout as he watched Azula's temper visibly rise. "And nobody wants that, now do they, nutcase?"

Not even bothering to wait for her inevitably well crafted response, Sokka made his way past her and out into the night. As he walked through the streets, Sokka reflected on his poor choice in rising to her bait. In the end, it would only serve to make her angrier at him, and that would mean he had to deal with an angry Azula every time he went into the office. Still, he felt a twinge of satisfaction at the way she had looked after he had spoken. She was still pretty even when she was pissed, and boy had she been pissed. He knew things would be pretty intense at work now, but if there was anything that would keep him awake during the day, it was competition and banter.

As Sokka made it to his apartment, he decided that tonight was not the night to begin his hunt anew. He was exhausted, and being tired turned people sloppy in no time flat. He couldn't be at anything less than his best for the moment, so it was a night's rest for him this time. Closing the door behind him, Sokka made his way to the kitchen so he could sate his hunger. A quick searing later, and he sat at his couch with a plate of vegetables and meat. It had taken him years to grow out of his meat-only phase, but now Sokka knew that vegetables were important to maintaining his body. Now that his body was being used to fight crime, it made sense to eat healthy and keep up his exercise regimen.

After quickly demolishing his meal, Sokka went about the task of polishing his armor. He was gonna be back in the fight tomorrow night, and he wanted to look particularly intimidating. He even made sure his war paint was sitting out, just in case he felt like following an old tradition. Once his armor shined brightly, looked properly scary, and was stored underneath his bed frame, Sokka decided it was time for bed. Eager to finally get some sleep after almost twenty four hours without it, he quickly stripped off his shirt and pants before rolling on top of the mattress. In the few minutes before he closed his eyes, Sokka thought about his new mission. This was no longer about Fuyuko, but instead about helping Republic City. It would have seemed like a daunting cause, if only he hadn't already done a mission for the betterment of the entire world when he was sixteen. Trying to help a city seemed relatively simple in comparison. But he would put in just as much effort to stop the Triad as he had to stop the Fire Nation, if not more. He was older, now, and with that age had come a growing determination to help others. If he could do something right, he needed to do it, no matter how difficult it might become.

With that thought in mind, Sokka closed his eyes and let sleep claim him.


End file.
